Folks on the left tend to view themselves as intellectually superior to most on the right, especially blue-collar sorts who follow NASCAR and (to quote our president) “cling to their guns and religion” to deal with “their frustrations."
Each January, I reflect on a few of the prior year’s columns. I am always curious about the topics and people I have written about over the course of the year. I hope you are, too.
To put in perspective the flurry of activity that has been the eight years of the Daniels administration, one must think back to the state he inherited following a succession of solid, but caretaker, governors.
In today’s era of 24/7 media bombardment, it can be easy to become overwhelmed by all the “expert” opinions out there.
It was clear the poison pill of the fiscal cliff required too much courage for our “leaders” in Washington. So, we will have what, at first blush, appears to be the worst possible compromise.
If you’re one of those businessfolk who buy new gadgets just because you can, you might want to move on to the food reviews now. I’m going to be talking today about when to upgrade devices or software.
In response to Sen. Tom Wyss’s [Dec. 10] letter about marijuana legalization, I am afraid the senator is erroneously conflating several issues. Marijuana is not related to bath salts or spice. There is also no connection between marijuana and meth. It is only their current illegal status that is similar.
Citizens Energy Group proclaims a vision to “… fulfill the promise of the Trust to serve our customers and communities with unparalleled excellence and integrity” and a mission to “… maintain the lowest possible rates with sound financial management.” Yet still they remain neutral on Leucadia National Corp.’s Rockport coal gasification plant.
Despite evidence that change is necessary, some businesses, not-for-profits and associations cannot do it. An example is service clubs. The Indianapolis Jaycees, having had more than 400 members in 1976, appears to have canceled its telephone number. Zionsville Kiwanis ceased business in September.
I am a capitalist. I believe in free markets, in what the economists describe as “transactions entered into freely between buyers and sellers both of whom have the necessary relevant information.” I also recognize that markets cannot function without “umpires” empowered to enforce rules of fair play and protect that level playing field to which we all pay lip service. The most significant challenge to genuine capitalism, I submit, lies in the ability of some competitors to bribe or otherwise influence the umpires.
Put another year in the history books. It’s time for reflection and a look ahead to the new year. I went back and looked at my column written this time last year—“From politics to hoops, my 2012 wish list”—and I would say the results were mostly positive, with one big exception.
Incoming Indiana Gov. Mike Pence may have spent a decade as a U.S. representative. But he is a neophyte when it comes to managing the state budget—unlike legislative warhorses such as Speaker of the House Brian Bosma and Sens. David Long and Luke Kenley.
Every day, U.S. investors are bombarded with a lack of action from inept politicians who can’t seem to take one positive step toward solving our fiscal crisis.
No matter your politics, you must admit that Mitch Daniels has been the most consequential Hoosier governor in more than a lifetime.
I’ve been a regular visitor to Vladimir Putin’s Russia, and, when I was describing what troubled me most about the place to a wise foreign policy friend, he urged me to read the play “Three Sisters” by Chekhov.
Having survived the Supreme Court and the November elections, President Obama’s health care law now faces an even bigger hurdle: the reality of making it work.
Fifty years ago, the Marion County delegation to the Indiana House consisted of 12 men. Among them were Charles Bosma, Brian Bosma’s father; Jim Clark, Murray Clark’s father; and me.
I was out of town Dec. 14, when the Newtown, Conn., massacre took place and could only connect to my loved ones by phone. My fiancé wept uncontrollably: “I can’t imagine what it would be like to drop Mackie off at school, and never see him again,” she said, referring to our 2-year-old son.
Must every tragic mass shooting bring out the shrill ignorance of “gun control” advocates?
Walk any street in Jerusalem or other Israeli city and you will immediately note the presence of lots of school-age kids. They’re dressed for school, often holding hands as they wind their way through busy streets to various field-trip-type excursions.
